There’s just one sign after another that Research in Motion rushed its tablet to market, hoping to strike the pan while it was still hot. The PlayBook came roaring out of the gates with all kinds of promises, only for us to learn that these promises aren’t exactly being fulfilled at time of launch. Like being able to run Android apps. Well, that’s almost here we think.

Yes, sales of the BlackBerry PlayBook may still be far behind its Cupertino-sourced counterpart, but it looks like the Berry could be beating Apple to the world of 3D graphics on a tablet. And yes, this isn’t just an idea; it’s been demoed at BlackBerry World this week.

The BlackBerry PlayBook isn’t exactly late to the party and its sales numbers from launch day are actually better than expected. But the bad news is that those sales numbers aren’t exactly huge either.

Wait. Isn’t that the same thing? That’s what I was thinking when I first heard that notion, but I guess RIM is trying to distance itself from the less than hugely successful Storm line. The new BlackBerry Touch — codenamed BlackBerry Monaco for Verizon and BlackBerry Monza for GSM — is set to make its official debut next month.

One of the reasons why someone would want a BlackBerry device in the first place is so that they can make use of BlackBerry Messenger. Well, it looks like RIM might be prepared to let its little darling grow some wings and fly into other pastures. Apple and Android flavored pastures, that is.

In case you couldn’t already figure it out from the company’s tablet ambitions with the BlackBerry PlayBook, Research in Motion has effectively put out a formal statement saying that the company is interested in doing more than just smartphones; they want to extend the focus “to mobile PCs and solutions through offering tablet PCs and much more application progrms.”

In addition to the new smartphones joining the BlackBerry lineup, Research in Motion also revealed some new features for its devices too. One of the most notable is something called BlackBerry Balance. No, the goal is not to help you balance your finances. Instead, it’s meant to help you better achieve a life-work balance.

Are you on the verge of buying an Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab, but you’re intrigued by the possibilities of the upcoming RIM PlayBook? Let’s add to that intrigue, because here is a complete hands-on walkthrough video of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Chalk this one up in the rumor mill for now, but it sounds like RIM is going to sell three different versions of its QNX-powered PlayBook and the starting price is just $399. There’s no mention of a contract in the rumor, so this could very well be the unsubsidized price.

Near field communications technology isn’t exactly new, but it’s catching all sorts of traction in the mobile phone arena. When asked about NFC, Balsillie boldly said that the company would “be fools” not to include NFC in a future BlackBerry smartphone.

Some people might say that Research in Motion is a little late to the tablet party if it can’t release the PlayBook in time for the holidays. I don’t think that’s true. If it’s a compelling product and it’s marketed correctly, it could be a hit. It helps if the price is right too.

The patent application drawings seem to indicate that the phone witll have a strange rotating form factor where you have a separate numeric keypad and QWERTY keyboard. The drawings confuse me, because I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around exactly how this will work.

The BlackBerry Torch, in many ways, is supposed to compete against the Apple iPhone 4. In much the same manner, the Apple iPad could be facing some competition from RIM’s upcoming tablet. And now, we’re hearing that the so-called BlackPad could launch this November.

The unveiling of the BlackBerry Torch with an abysmal display has really been overshadowed by Research in Motion’s woes in the Middle East and other countries. As you may have heard, the BlackBerry ban on service is happening in a number of nations who have already banned, or are in the process banning the Canadian-made messenger device. In an effort to get back in, RIM is apparently installing new servers.

Despite just announcing a new phone, it seems that Research in Motion is going into a world of hurt. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia have already said that the BlackBerry service represents a security risk, and now Lebanon, India and Indonesia are joining in on the anti-Berry party.